To tell this story correctly, we need to go back to 2012. Cassidy was in the 5th grade at Calvary Chapel. Cassidy and some of her friends were interested in playing city league basketball and asked me if I would be willing to coach them. Of course, I said yes, and Justin and I coached these girls for two years. This week’s story is about one of those girls. Her name is Sydney Young, and this story is about her Senior Project.
Three years ago, I ran into Sydney and her Dad when I had a table set up at a Chukars game. They had a booth selling kettle corn. We talked about how much fun we had with basketball and what a great experience it was for all of us. Then they asked me about the foundation and I explained how it was started and its goals. I gave them both a foundation t-shirt, and we agreed how nice it was to catch up.
The next time I ran into Sydney was when she was working at Edwards Theatre. Ever since I started A.S.P.E.C.T. Training, I pay close attention to customer service and Edwards Theatre has always been a company that could use some serious customer service training. It was refreshing to watch Sydney wait on customers. She always had a friendly smile and was very polite and professional. The rest of the staff at Edwards could learn a lot from her.
This spring, I ran into her working at Broulims. I asked her how school was going, and she told me she had been taking some online classes and was going to graduate early this fall. Then she told me she needed to do a senior project. “I was wondering if I could help you with the foundation for my project?” she asked. I was flattered that she wanted to help and replied, “Of Course. That would be great!”
She helped me at the Chukars games and plans to help me at the Wild Adventure Corn Maze this fall. Thursday night, she sent me a text saying she had a donation for me and wanted to meet me somewhere. We agreed on Coldstone because it’s close to my house and I LOVE ice cream. I was not surprised she had a donation for the foundation because that’s the kind of special young lady she is. When we met at Coldstone, I expected the donation to be around 25 dollars. Sydney handed me an envelope with 235 dollars. I was speechless. “I made some breast cancer awareness bracelets, and sold them,” she said. I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated the donation.
We went in to get some ice cream, and she told me to finish her senior project, she had to a presentation it to her teacher and an audience. “I don’t want to present it to a bunch of students, so I’m going to present it tomorrow for my teacher and my parents,” she said. “Would you like to come,” she asked me. “I was just going to ask if I could come watch,” I replied. “I would be honored to be there,” I said. I drove home thinking what a generous and caring young lady she is.
The next morning, I met Sydney and her parents at the school. She started the presentation talking about the foundation and how she wanted to be part of something that helps people. Then she talked about wanting to be a paramedic and firefighter. She explained she wants a job where she can have an impact on the community. When she started talking about how grateful she was to know me and how I inspire her to be a better person, we all started to get tears in our eyes. The emotion we all felt was overwhelming. She did a fantastic job and I am so proud to know this young lady. She is an inspiration to me. I have no doubt she will have a positive impact on so many lives. This presentation is something that I will always remember and hold close in my heart. I know my Angel Shannon is proud of this wonderful young lady. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
Next week: Sponsorship chasing